Author: Soorya G
Chasing the title, Arsenal will face West Ham United at the start of the final stretch of their campaign, with each game looming as a must-win encounter. Arteta’s men are currently in an intense title race against none other than Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
The gap between the teams is currently three points if City beat Leicester City at home on Saturday, a result that seems extremely likely. Against this backdrop, a tight title race is expected between two teams that have done very well throughout the season. Arsenal have performed excellently under Mikel Arteta, losing just three games in the season to this point, even though two of them came in a three-game losing streak against Manchester City and Everton.
Meanwhile, City have lost just one game in 16 matches in all competitions, recently beating
Bayern Munchen 3-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final at the Etihad.
. The reigning champions are in a great position and have even beaten the Gunners in their two previous matches. With a possible title decider on April 27, both teams are hoping to go into the knockout stage in the best possible shape.
Arsenal are cruising through the league at the moment, with some fabulous wins in their last few games, including two consecutive 4-1 results against Crystal Palace and Leeds United respectively. The Gunners also beat Everton 4-0 and, in a testament to their grit and determination, escaped with a last-second win against relegation candidates AFC Bournemouth, despite trailing 0-2 early on. The talented Reiss Nelson had the last laugh, scoring a brilliant goal in the 97th minute to keep Arsenal’s title hopes alive.
Leandro Trossard, who joined the Londoners recently after leaving Brighton, has now started to get regular starts as a center-forward, allowing Arsenal’s attack to be much more fluid. Gabriel Jesus’ return is expected to bring some chopping and changing from Arteta, but the Belgian’s performance has been solid to say the least. With four tough games against Manchester City, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Brighton, Arsenal will be looking to pick up six points from their next two games against West Ham and Southampton.
West Ham, who fought off relegation at one point in the season, are not out of the woods yet, as the highly competitive Premier League season has resulted in eight teams being realistic candidates for relegation to the Championship, including the Hammers. However, one thing that is working in Moyes’ way is the fact that they have one game in hand compared to the other seven teams, which less conveniently happens against the table leaders.
The Londoners, who finished sixth and seventh respectively in the last two seasons, have been doing well in the UEFA Conference League and even have a good chance of making it through. However, their main motive will be the best possible result in the league, and a win against Arsenal would be huge in that respect. Superstar midfielder Declan Rice and veteran striker Danny Ings, who joined in January, have been his best players in recent times, and Moyes expects more of his players to feature towards the end of the season.
Team news
Considering the situation both clubs find themselves in, anything other than a full line-up is not an option. However, injuries will have an impact, with William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu doubtful for the Gunners, while Gianluca Scamacca has been ruled out for the season.
Expected line-up:
West Ham: Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Soucek, Arroz, Pacquetá; Bowen, Fornals, Ings;
Arsenal: Ramsdale; Branco, Gabriel, Segurando, Zinchenko; Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard; Saka, Martinelli, Trossard;
Key players:
Oleksandr Zinchenko will be influential in the game at the London Stadium due to his defensive abilities as well as his extraordinary ball skills. West Ham will be keeping a close eye on the Ukrainian captain, who can change the game without warning.
Lukasz Fabianski will have to be at his peak if his team is to have any chance of doing well. The 37-year-old is technically sound and can decide the outcome of the game with his outrageous skill.
Forecasts:
Arsenal to win.
The Gunners kept their cool and came out on top when they needed it most this season, and there’s no reason to believe that won’t be the case again.
Odegaard to score:
The skilful Norwegian hasn’t scored for some time, and West Ham could welcome his brilliance.